Month: January 2009

Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come…The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (Luke 10:1, 17)One of the greatest joys of discipling men is watching how quickly they transform when they begin to help others grow in Christ. Time and time again, a man has come to me in a stagnate spiritual state and with an exhortation to invest in another, the flames of passion for Jesus are reignited. It would stand to reason, if we are created to reproduce both physically and spiritually, that we would feel fulfilled when we are helping others restore their image.

I use an illustration on how spiritual stagnation can occur. The Sea of Galilee is a healthy, thriving body of water. This is the lake where Jesus’ disciples made their living and twice caught miraculous quantities of fish. On the other hand, the Dead Sea, 67 miles south, has very little living in it. Its salt content is so high, it is literally dead. What’s the difference? Input and output. The Jordan River flows in and out of the Sea of Galilee, keeping the waters fresh. However, the Jordan only flows into the Dead Sea; there is no out flow. Similarly, like hundreds of Christians who are merely concerned with feeding themselves, the result is stagnation. The love of God is like the Jordan River. It must flow through us onto others to have it fullest transforming effects. And, to the extent we invest in others, we see greater transformation occurring in our own lives.

Jesus demonstrates how our spiritual health is dependent on investing in others. That’s why from beginning to end Jesus trains the disciples to reach out to others by sharing the good news of salvation and helping them grow in their faith (Mt 4.19, 28.18-20, Ac 1.8). The Apostle Paul recognized everyone has a role to play in helping others in the faith (1 Cor 12-14, Eph 4.11-12).

You are designed to help others grow in their relationship with God. It is essential for your own personal transformation. Reach out to others and see the difference it makes in restoring your image.

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

In the beginning God gives Adam and Eve their first command to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1.28). Mankind got off to a good start physically during Noah’s day but were spiritually bankrupt to the point God regretted creating man (Gen 6.1-6). It is clear the command was meant to have the spiritual component as well. Over 6 billion people later, we still struggle to obey God completely by reproducing in both the physical and spiritual aspects of the image of God.

It’s important to notice that God starts over with one man, Noah. God continues to restart the spiritual reproduction chain with one man as the centuries pass: Abraham (Gen 12.1-2), Moses (Ex 3.10), David (2 Sa 7.7-16), Elijah (2 Ki 19.14-21), all the way to Jesus who was the ultimate man and model (Ro 5.14-15). Then, Jesus exhorts His followers to continue the process of spiritual reproduction from beginning (Mt 4.19) to end (Mt 28.18-20, Ac 1.8).

Although Jesus is the pinnacle of restoration and spiritual reproduction, God continues to use the “one man” principle to build and reform His Church (Mt 16.18, 2 Tim 2.2). It is the responsibility of that one man to reproduce himself in his likeness.

Here are some critical questions concerning spiritual reproduction: Who bears the image of Christ as a result of your investment in their life? Are you training someone else to reproduce? As Dawson Trotman use to ask, “Where is your man?”

You can listen to the message “Born to Reproduce” by Dawson Trotman at Discipleship Library by clicking on the link below:
Discipleship Library

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

I use to think that it was selfish to pray for myself so I made an effort to pray others at length and myself sparingly. I soon discovered through an African American Spiritual that my sense of humility was seriously misguided. The song’s lyrics testify that God’s intervention is more needed by the one praying than the ones who are being prayed for. “Not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” As I gave this a little more thought I wondered at my arrogance. I was praying for others as if they were in greater need spiritually than I. Now that was a humbling experience.

When you consider the undertaking of a discipler, it is even more imperative to pray for one’s self. My Bible College Professor once said, “Men, a brain surgeon cracks open a man skull and messes with his brain. That is serious business. But you, my young theologs, are messing with men’s souls.” Now which of the two do you think needs more prayer?

Jesus, the epitome of humility, did not hesitate to pray for Himself. He asked the Father to glorify Him (Jn 17.1, 5), to help Him (Mt 26.39-42), to take care of His spirit (Lk 23.46). He even thanked the Father for hearing His prayers (Jn 11.41). In His instructions on prayer, He teaches His disciples to pray for themselves (“us” is used four times in the Lord’s Prayer: Mt 6.9-13).

The Apostle Paul understood his personal need for prayer and asked the churches to pray for him. And right now, I ask that you pray the same prayer for me and yourselves. Pause for a moment and pray; “Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you” (2 Thes 3:1).

(Part 1) – The Glory of His Image

(Part 2) – Too Much of a Good Thing

(Part 3) – We Need a Savior

(Part 4) – The Restoration Process: The Father

(Part 5) – The Restoration Process: The Son

(Part 6) – The Restoration Process: Discipleship

(Part 7) – The Restoration Process: Discipleship Continued

(Part 8) – The Restoration Process: One-on-One Discipleship

(Part 9) – The Restoration Process: Tools and Techniques

(Part 10) – The Restoration Process: Dangers

(Part 11) – The Holy Spirit: The Breath of Life

(Part 12) – The Holy Spirit: Indwelling

(Part 13) – The Holy Spirit: His Work

(Part 14) – The Word of God: Essential

(Part 15) – The Word of God: Essential but Neglected

(Part 16) – The Word of God: Setting the Heart

(Part 17) – The Word of God: Intake

(Part 18) – The Word of God: Application

(Part 19) – The Word of God: Passing it On

(Part 20) – Interaction with Others: The Image is not and Island

(Part 21) – Interaction with Others: Intentional Co-Restoration

(Part 22) – Interaction with Others: An Invitation to Restoration

(Part 23) – Interaction with Others: Restoration begins with Explanation

(Part 24) – An Evangelistic Obstacle to Following Jesus

(Part 25) – The Transforming Power of Prayer

(Part 26) – It’s Me, O Lord Standing in the Need of Prayer

(Part 27) – Reproduction: Creative like the Creator

(Part 28) – Reproduction: Helping Others Changes Us

(Part 29) – Reproduction: Changing the World

(Part 30) – Pressing On Toward the Finish Line

(Part 31) – Crossing the Finish Line

(Conclusion) – To Be Like Jesus

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved

Chapter 10

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
(John 1:12)

Having been confronted with lies and the truth, I also reflected on the things I heard and read at Ft. Bragg. How Jesus had died on a cross to forgive me and how, if I trusted him, He would change my life. I was ready. I had enough. I was sick of my life and the lies. I had all the data I needed. I believed Christ died and rose from the grave. I believed He could forgive me and give me eternal life. I just never embraced the facts by applying them to my own life by following Him. It was like receiving a gift and never opening it. But the scriptures promised that if I would receive Christ in faith He would change my life. So there on the floor, I prayed. My prayer didn’t sound very theological or pious as some would expect. It was simple and honest and it was basically, “O.K. God.” With sincerity of heart, expressed in a simple prayer, I surrendered my life to following Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior on 23 December 1979. Then everything changed.

Testimony 1: In the Beginning
Testimony 2: Jesus is Watching You
Testimony 3: Paratrooper Religion
Testimony 4: Afraid of being Left Behind
Testimony 5: The Geographical Solution
Testimony 6: The Geographical Solution Fails
Testimony 7: The Seed is Planted
Testimony 8: Spiritual Melee
Testimony 9: Seeing the Light
Testimony 10: Receiving God’s Plan for My Life
Testimony 11: A New Creature
Testimony 12: What about You?
Testimony 13: A Little Miracle
Testimony 14: An Apostle to the Soldier
Testimony 15: First Steps toward Growth
Testimony 16: Being Discipled

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…

© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved